Air supply control means for oil burners



J. A. BOURBONNAIS Filed Sept. 23. 1930 AIR SUPPLY CONTROL MEANS FOR OILBURNERS Aug. 16, 193.2.`

Patented Aug. 16, 1932 PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH AVILA BOURBONNAIS, I'HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS Y AIR SUPPLY CONTROL FOR OIL BURNEBS Applicationfiled September 23p, 1930. Serial No. 483,785.

This invention relates to an improvement in vaporizing oil burners ofthe household type and is more particularly directed to the means forregulating and controlling the air llsupply for such burners. Thepresent improvement is described and shown as applied to an oil burnerof the type shown in my copending application Serial No. 447,582 ofApril 26, 1930.

Oil burners of this type are generally used by being mounted in the firebox space of an ordinary kitchen range to take the place of the usualcoal iire therein. When so used, diiiculties arise in connection withthe distribution and supply of the proper amount of air for efficientand smokeless combustion of theI burner. The usual draft dampers of ahousehold stove are ill adapted to the proper ventilation of an oilburner mounted in the stove.

The common method of operation has been to keep the lower dampers of thestove as well as the chimney dampers wide open and thus give the oilburner at least all the air it can use, allowing any surplus to pass upthe chimney, the control of heat from the burner being regulated by thefuel supply. Such a method is unduly wasteful of fuel, frequently causestoo large a current of unheated air to pass from the tire chamber aroundthe oven of the stove on the way to the chimney flue, making itdifficult to heat the oven, and also permits drafts of unequal force tostrike the sides of the burner, causing uneven combustion. For bestresults in the operation of such a burner, the air should be supplied inthe right quantity and with even diffusion to the bottom of the burner,and the outlet from the top of the burner to the chimney flue should befree and unrestricted so as to carry off all products of combustion andpreventsmoking or smell.

To this end, the present invention contemplates the provision of airsupply control means close-ly adjacent the bottom of the burner whichwill break up the incoming draft into finely divided streams and thefurther provision of means for protecting the sides of the burner andmore particularly the lower portions of the perforated cylinders A fromside drafts. i l

Further advantages and objects of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a side view of the burner partin sectionshown as mounted in the fire chamber of a stove;

Fig. 2 is a plan view enlarged of the air supply control means, one ofthe plates thereof being broken away to show the other plate beneathsame;

Fig. 3 is a partial View similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified form ofair supply control means.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the fire chamberof an ordinary kitchen range is shown with walls 1 and 2 thereof, bottom3, and top 4 in section. This portion of the stove illustrated is thatwhich usually contains the grate for the coal fire, which grate and rebrick have been removed and an oil burner of the type shown in mycopending application shown therein.

The burner comprises a suitable adjustable stand 5 on the upper part ofwhich is mounted the burner base 6 formed with fuel receiving grooves 7and 8 and fuel vaporizing chamber 40. Surmounting the burner base 6 arethe usual perforated cylindrical shells 9, 10, 11 and 12, and it will beunderstood that the spaces between the shells 9 and 10 and between 11and 12 form the combustion chambers above their respective fuel grooves.The fuel grooves 8 and 7 are also spaced apart in the usual way forallowing air to pass up between the same, as through the passage 13, soas to reach the space within shell 12 and between shells 10 and 11.Cover plates 14 and 15 are provided for the upper ends of the shells, asis customary. The fuel supply for the burner is indicated by the pipe 16which leads into a passage extending upwardlv through the stand 5communicating with the fuel vaporizing chamber 40, and it will beunderstood also that the fuel receiving grooves 7 and 8 receive theirfuel from the vaporizing chamber 40 through distributing conduits (notshown).

The ordinary kitchen range in which such burners are mounted is usuallysupplied through one wall thereof with a sliding damper such asindicated at 17 and perhaps also a door (not herein shown) at some lowerportion of the fire box chamber. In operating an oil burner in such astove it is customary to leave the ordinary stove damper or door open togive a sufficient 'supply of air for the burner. Experience has shownthat when this is done too great a supply of air often reaches theburner and strikes one part of the burner in more abundance thananother, so that the burner will not operate in a uniform manner.

To overcome this difficulty I have, therefore, provided an improvedmeans for controlling the air supply for such a burner, which comprisesin the resent embodiment a pair of superposed per orated plates 18 and19 mounted below the burner base, preferably on lthe upper portion ofthe stand 5. Both of the lates 18 and 19 are perforated as shown in fiig. 2, that is with a great number of relatively small aperturesdistributed in a substantially uniform manner throughout the areathereof. The plates 18 and 19 are made slidable upon one another,preferably by having'lower plate 18 fixed and the upper plate 19rotatable upon the stand 5 as a bearing. A handle 30 fixed to the upperplate 19 extends through a suitable opening 17 in the side of the stoveto permit of its adjustment with respect to plate 18.

The upper plate 19 is also preferably perforated so that it nevercompletely closes up all of the perforations in the lower plate 18 butprovides that at all times there shall be some air passages through thetwo plates. For example: The lower plate 18 may have a series ofconcentric rings of equally spaced apertures 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25. Theapertures in the rings 21, 23 and 25 may be of the same size while theapertures in ring 22 may be slightly larger and the apertures in ring 24slightly larger still, or elongated as shown.

The upper plate 19 is of slightly smaller diameter than the plate 18 sothat the outer ring 25 of apertures in plate 18 are not covered by plate19. The upper plate 19 also has two concentric rings of elongated slots26 which overlie the apertures 21 in plate 18 and elongated slots 27which overlie the apertures 23 in plate 18 whereby the said apertures 21and 23 of plate 18 are substantially uncovered in all relativeadjustments of plate 19. The plate 19 also has two concentric rings ofapertures 28 and 29, the apertures 28 overlying apertures 22, and theapertures 29 overlying apertures 24 of the plate 18, said apertures 28and 22 being of the same size, and apertures 29 and 24 being of size andof f such spacing that the adjustment of plate 19 may effect a completeclosing or opening of the underlying apertures 22 and 24.

By the arrangement described, it w11l be clear that the plate 19 may bemoved to restrict or enlarge some of the air passages through thecombined plate structure, whereas at all times there will be theprovision of A some air passages therethrough.

Mounted at the marginal portion of the lower plate 18 is an upwardlyvertically extending imperforate shell 31 which extends part way up andaround the perforated shells of the burner so as to protect and guardthe lower portion of the same from the direct flow of air thereagainst.

Referring to Fig. 3 the stove structure and the burner here shown is thesame as that previously described. In this modification the air controlsupply means comprises a lower plate 32 which extends entirely acrossfrom wall to wall of the stove compartment and is sealed and fastenedaround its entire margin to said walls as indicated by fiange portions33 and 34. This lower plate, therefore, entirely closesl off the lowerpart of the fire box compartment from the upper part thereof wherein theburner base 6 is located. The lower plate 32, as shown at 35, may beperforated in the same manner as lower plate l 8 as respects its areawhich is directly beneath the burner base 6. Above the lower fixed plate32 is mounted the upper movable plate 19 which is constructed the sameas plate'19, described in connection with Fig. 1. The operation of thestructure in this modification is of course the same as that previouslydescribed, and has the additional advantage that the upper part of theburner is entirely surrounded by imperforate side walls 2, 3 and 4 ofthe stove so that no air can reach same except that which passesupwardly through Ventilating plates 19 and 32.

The advantage of this latter structure is that only heated air whichpasses through the burner is allowed to pass around the oven of thestove to the chimney fiue. At the same time the chimney flue may be keptwide open for carrying off by a strong draft all the products ofcombustion.

It will be understood that in both constructions described, theadjustment of the upper plate 19 for giving the proper air supply to theburner is substantially fixed for each particular kitchen range withwhich the burner may be used. Different types of stoves will requireperhaps a different adjustment of -plate 19, but once the properadjustment is obtained for the particular stove, it is left fixed andthe control of the burner heat is obtained by regulation ofthe fuelsupply in the `customary manner.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a vaporizing oil burner comprising a base with aplurality of fuel reeiving troughs in air spaced relation and havingvertically extended above the same spaced perforated shells to providecombustion chambers therebetween, of air supply control means for saidburner comprising a pair of superposed intersliding perforated platesmounted beneath said burner base, a portion of the perforations in theplates being arranged to provide adjustable Ventilating apertures forthe underside of the burner and other of the perforations being arrangedto continuously afford a non-adjustable minimum ventilation to theburner.

2. The combination with a Vaporizing oil burner comprising a base with aplurality of fuel receiving troughs in air spaced relation and havingvertically extended above the same spaced perforated shells to providecombustion chambers therebetween, of air supply control means for saidburner comprising a pair of superposed intersliding perforated platesmounted beneath said burner base to provide adjustable Ventilatingapertures for the underside of the burner, said'ventilating aperturesbeing arranged in substantially uniform spaced relation throughout saidplates, the perforations of one of said plates being relatively large innumber and small in size so as to supply air to said burner from belowin finely divided streams.

3. The .combination with a Vaporizing oil burner comprising a base witha plurality of fuel receiving troughs in air spaced relation and havingvertically extended above the same spaced perforated shells to providecombustion chambers therebetween, of air supply control means for saidburner comprising a pair of superposed intersliding perforated platesmounted beneath said burner base, g

a portion of the perforations in the plates being arranged to provideVadjustable ventilating apertures for the underside of the burner andother of the perforations being arranged to continuously afford anonadjustable minimum ventilation to the burner, and imperforate sidewalls extending vertically from said Ventilating plates to surround thelower portion of said combustion chamber.

4. The combination with a Vaporizing oil burner comprising a base with aplurality of fuel receiving troughs in air spaced relation land havingvertically extended above the same spaced' perforated shells to providecombustion chambers therebetween, of air supply control means for saidburner comprisingA a pair of superposed intersliding perforated platesmounted beneath said burner base to provide adjustable Ventilatingapertures for the underside of the burner, said Ventilating aperturesbeing arranged in substantially uniform spaced relation throu hout saidplates, the perforations of one o said plates being relatively large innumber and small in size so as to supply air 5 to said burner from belowin finely divided streams, and` imperforate side walls extendingvertically from said ventilatin plates to surround the lower portion ofsaid combustion chamber. v

5. The combination with a Vaporizing oil burner comprising a base with aplurality of fuel receiving troughs in air s aced relation and havingvertically exten ed above the same spaced perforated shells to providecombustion chambers therebetween, of air suply control means for saidburner comprising a pair of superposed intersliding perforated platesmounted beneath said burner base the perforations in the plates beingarranged to provide both adjustable and nonadjustable Ventilatingapertures for the underside of the burner, and imperforate side wallsjoined to the margins of said Ventilating plates and surrounding saidburner.

6. The combination with a vaporizing oil burner comprising a base with aplurality of fuel receiving troughs in air spaced relation and havingvertically extended above the same spaced perforated shells to providecombustion chambers therebetween, of air supply control means for saidburner comprising a pair of superposed intersliding perforated platesmounted beneath said burner base to provide adjustable Ventilatingapertures for the underside of the burner, said Ventilating aperturesbeing arranged in substantially uniform spaced relation throughout saidplates, the perforations of one of said plates being relatively lar e innumber and small in size so as to supp y air to said burner from belowin finely divided streams, and imperforate sides walls joined to themarins of said Ventilating plates and surround- 1n said burner.

The combination with a vaporizing oil burner comprising a base with aplurality of fuel receiving troughs in air spaced relation and having,vertically spaced above the same spaced perforated shells to providecombustion chambers therebetween, of air supply control means for saidburner comrising a pair of superposed intersliding perorated platesmounted beneath said burner base, to provide adjustable Ventilatingapertures for the under side of the burner, one of said plates being oflarger area than the other, the larger plate being provided at itsextended uncovered portions with apertures affording a non-adjustableminimum ventilation for the burner.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature. l

JOSEPH AVILA BOURBONNAIS.

